Northern Ireland’s new chief constable pledged today to work with all the people of the region to defeat dissident republican terrorists opposed to the peace process.
On his first day in the job, Matt Baggott said the threat posed by the violent extremists was real and should not be underplayed.
Security is high across Northern Ireland today amid fears the dissidents would try to mark the arrival of the former head of the Leicestershire force with violence. One man was arrested after a number of early morning raids in Dungannon, Co Tyrone.
Mr Baggott (50) comes to the job with a reputation as a strong advocate of neighbourhood policing and in his first public appearance as chief constable he stressed the key part communities would play in subduing the dissidents.
"The threat is real, it would be wrong of me not to say that," he said after a meeting with the chair of Northern Ireland Policing Board Barry Gilligan.
"I don't diminish it, I don't underplay it, it is real. And there are some people doing some dedicated work at the moment to deal with it.
"The way to deal with it is for communities themselves in the vast, vast majority to say no to the people who want to return to the past.
"The greatest resource we have here is the communities themselves."
There were traffic delays in several areas as police mounted roadblocks as part of tightened security.
Earlier this month, a 600lb bomb was found in south Armagh. It was apparently set up by terrorists to kill police officers at the time of the departure of Mr Baggott’s predecessor, Sir Hugh Orde.
The former Leicestershire chief is taking on the Police Service of Northern Ireland‘s top job following the departure of Sir Hugh last month.
The police crackdown began on Friday night after rioting broke out in Co Armagh following the jailing of three local dissidents on explosives charges.
Sporadic disorder continued throughout the weekend in Lurgan and Craigavon, with a number of vehicles hijacked and torched.
Basil McCrea, an Ulster Unionist member of the NI Policing Board — the PSNI’s oversight body — said the dissidents would attempt to challenge the new chief’s authority from the outset.
“He will be tested, there will be no doubt of that,” said the Lagan Valley Assembly member. “But he has the board‘s full backing and we just hope he can deliver for the whole of Northern Ireland.”
The growing threat posed by the dissidents is just one issue in the packed in-tray awaiting Mr Baggott.
The father-of-three will assume command of the PSNI when the force is having to balance multimillion-pound funding cuts with growing public demands for more officers on the beat.
He also takes the reins ahead of the politically sensitive transfer of security responsibilities from Westminster to the devolved administration at Stormont.
Add to that a looming court order to hand over top secret reports on alleged Royal Ulster Constabulary “shoot to kill” incidents during the Troubles and the ramifications of an internal performance review that flagged up serious shortcomings in day-to-day policing within the present day PSNI, it is clear Sir Hugh’s successor will not have much of a honeymoon period.
PA